As miR-146a-5p is critical in maintaining immune homeostasis by braking NF-κB-induced pro-inflammatory reaction, one of the pillar mechanisms promoting malignant transformation, the circulating miR-146a-5p in NSCLC may not only be secreted from cancer tissues but also reflect the corresponding immune activities against the specific pathological situation (Boldin et al., 2011). Here, NFKB1 is linked to cancer.